Riley Not Pressed To Use $1.9m Trade Exception

That doesn't mean coach Pat Riley feels any urgency to utilize the $1.9 million salary-cap trade exception the team gained last February when it acquired Steve Smith from Charlotte for Malik Allen.

The exception expires at today's 3 p.m. NBA trading deadline.

"We'll see," Riley said before Wednesday's game against the Knicks. "We've got another 24 hours."

A trade exception cannot be aggregated with a player already under contract for a more expensive player. For example, the exception cannot be added to Michael Doleac's salary to receive a player earning the combined amount.

Also, the trade exception must be utilized in a trade. That is, the exception cannot be extended as a lump sum to an unsigned free agent, such as Latrell Sprewell, George Lynch or Glenn Robinson.

With the Heat about $2 million below the dollar-for-dollar luxury tax, utilizing the trade exception would likely preclude the later signing of a Sprewell, Lynch, Robinson or any other player who should come on the free-agent market after the trading deadline, such as Tim Thomas, Tony Delk or Voshon Lenard.

Further, if the Heat acquires a player with the exception, it would have to release a player already on the roster, with the maximum of 15 under contract.

Generally, $1.9 million doesn't fetch that much these days. Actually, the Heat's $1.9 million exception can be used for a player earning up to $2 million, since there is $100,000 of wiggle room in such a deal.

Riley would not discuss whether the Heat would be involved in a bigger move by today's deadline, saying only that General Manager Randy Pfund has been fielding a volley of calls.

RILEY LIKES MOVE

Riley said he saw nothing wrong with Knicks President Isiah Thomas taking on the contract of Steve Francis in Wednesday's trade with the Magic, even if the guard duplicates the backcourt skills of Stephon Marbury.

"I think they've turned the corner," Riley said of the Knicks. "They've accumulated a tremendous amount of talent. Ever since [Thomas] has come here, the talent level has gone through the roof. That's all I know.

"He has a whole summer now to take a tremendous amount of talent and mold it, trade more of it, whatever he wants to do. But the cupboard's full, I think." ...

Heat forward Udonis Haslem was able to fly to New York a week after perforating his eardrum in a home victory over Orlando. It is the first flight he has taken since the injury.